A part in the history of Ythandril
by Frossen
Summary: This is if the series was in a different universe so, enjoy it! Of course all the characters are different but you will start seeing similarities in later volumes.
1. Chapter 1

The Kingdom of Laimar

The man climbed up onto the roof, he let out a heavy breath that showed in the air. It is nearing the end of fall and the days keep on getting colder and colder as winter drove near. The man hated winter since he could not live in his home. His home is inside a tree, he got it made when he got hired to take out King Therrat. The man climbed up onto the roof, he let out a heavy breath that showed in the air. It is nearing the end of fall and the days keep on getting colder and colder as winter drove near. The man hated winter since he could not live in his tree is at a forest at about five kilometers away from Laimar, the kingdom's capital. Footsteps came apparent when a guard approached him.

"Sir, how did you get up here? This is for the people of the keep not for some filthy peasants." He explained to the man that was sitting on the edge. The man stood up and pulled something out of his boot. The guard began to talk till he caught glimpse of a small glint of metal , and then the blade was shown. The blade was pure steel with a small tube like groove in the middle, the length of that of a dagger. Immediately the guard pulled out his sword. "Drop your weapons and I'll let this one slide."

"Oh I do not think that will happen sir." The man said. He threw out his hand and the dagger went into the guard's throat. The guard gurgled as he collapsed to the ground. Before the guard died he saw the man's face, it had an odd look to it. He had long pointed ears that indicated him as an elf, his cheekbones were a little higher than most elves and his jawline was almost to angular. Then after a couple of minutes, the elf went over to the corpse and proudly said "My name is Elokart, The bounty hunter."

Elokart removed his dagger from the guard's throat. The dagger, soaked in blood, dripped onto the corpse. He took out a piece of cloth and wiped off the blood. He began to head towards the trap door when the trapdoor opened up. Out comes two more guards wearing full plate mail with eight foot swords. In a panic, Elokart dove straight into the guards without hesitation. The guards reacted in surprise and swung their large blades as Elokart fell past them and into the trap door. The Elf landed hard into the wooden floor, almost cracking it into two. His shoulder was bleeding and a bone was poking out. After getting up he remembered that there were two guards above him. He scrambled to the ladder and began climbing when the guards loomed over the door with their swords pointed downwards.

"Well hello good sirs, how are you today?" Elokart said with slight hurriedness. The two guards looked at each other then went back to him. Elokart, whom was on the ladder, disappeared. The guards stood there, staring at the door that had once had an elf standing there, their breaths were fast and shaking. Sweat poured down their necks as they looked at the door. Where could the elf had gone? Did he cast a spell that made him invisible or did he just leave? A loud bang and a locking nose had gone off and the guards that was staring at the door are now locked out of the castle as they had let the intruder in.

* * *

"I do not care if an intruder is in our castle, just go out and find the bastard and kill him!"

"Yes your majesty." The captain said to the king. The man stood up and left the throne room. The throne room had nice mosaic glass windows that were as tall as the room itself. The throne itself was made of oak and had bright red fabric. The king started his rule when he was twenty-four, just after he finished schooling. His father, getting older and older, had once said that the family was destined for greatness and yet was to fall to the good. The king did not know what his father meant by their family was to fall to the good and believed that his father were not thinking straight at the time.

"Umm, King Therrat sir, we need to discuss the battle plans for when the goblin army comes."

"Yes, right, well the elven kingdom of Trimak is going to be the supportive wave, since most of their wizards can cure our wounded and some can bring back them from the dead and their archery is the best I've ever seen. Stop worrying over such a trivial thing Kilia, once everything is set into motion we will be even more powerful than before." Said king Therrat. He glanced over at Kilia wondering why he appointed her as the royal mage. Most likely due to her mother being his childhood friend.

The door bursts open, the force at which it opened with made the two guards guarding the door almost fall over. The man stepped through the door to reveal himself as a dwarf. Dwarves are fairly rare in this region. Most creatures that live in the country Veranil are humans, elves, goblins and halflings. Curious, the king stood up and walked down the steps that led to his throne.

"What brings you to Laimar?" He asked the dwarf. When he did the dwarf dropped down onto his knees and began to speak very quietly to himself. Kilia wasn't sure that this dwarf was a good dwarf. He had a long brownish red beard, tattoos all over his face and arms, and his eyes were almost always glaring at something. The king walked over to the dwarf and looked down upon him. "Rise, dwarf, tell me what you've come here for?"

"I, Largared Gurambeir, has chosen to accept your quest to kill the female and child goblins." Proclaimed Largared. Therrat gave Largared a look of disconcern, he had never put up a poster or told anyone to put up a quest that involves killing the female and child goblins. He looked over at Kilia with a questionable glare. She returns it with one that says that she has nothing to do with this. The king sighed and spoke "I am sorry but we, I mean, I have never posted this killing of female and child goblins."

"I know, the captain of the guard posted it and it said to go meet the king if you choose to accept." Just as the dwarf finished speaking another loud bang happened as the door to the room was blown open and another dwarf walks in. Kilia noticed that the new dwarf and the one currently in front of the king look almost exactly the same. Again the dwarf walks in drops down to his knees and began to speak quietly to himself. The king looked over at the other dwarf with confusion and looked back at the on standing in front of him.

"Do you know this dwarf? Is he your twin?" He asked Largared. Largared looked behind him and shook his head. The king moved his hand to his hip where his sword was. Kilia began to whisper and move her hands around, prepared to cast a spell. The new dwarf looks up, and sees the king and kilia preparing for combat. The dwarf in front of him turned around and noticed a very small detail. The new dwarf had a different tattoo on his right arm, one that looked like a small dagger.

The new dwarf moved, he lunged and cut Largared in the shoulder, just above the tendon that would render his arm useless. Kilia let loose a spell that in turn immobilized Largared. Swearing, the king drew his sword and swung at the dwarf. He felt his blade touch solid stone and it rang up his arms. It was not a dwarf but an elf. The elf was very nimble but he jumped over the king. Largared, being immobile, began to grunt as if to speak. The king looked over at Kilia, she was already casting another spell. Hopefully it allows Largared to move again. A light but cold piece of metal touched the king's neck.

"King Therrat, you are charged with homicide" The elf spoke in an odd accent, every second syllable was more pronounced than the other syllables. The king looked over at Kilia, whom was running over to Largared, apologizing to him. Largared shook his head in acceptance and looked at the king. The elf looked at the other two people, Kilia, whom he guessed a mage, was wearing a dark purple shirt that was way to baggy. She tucked it into her light gray pants, that made her look more like a pirate than a mage. He glanced at the dwarf, giving him a nod. Kilia, made a very quick gesture and whispered two words. The air around the elf began to form a few words such as his name, Elokart, and his mission, which was to kill the king. Elokart felt the air begin to tense up but to his surprise the wind forced him out the window, breaking it.

Kilia ran over to the king. Therrat was sweating, sweating harder than ever before. His head, almost too hot to touch. She began to cast a spell and it began to clear up the sweat and restore him to full health. He waved his hands towards the dwarf and motioned him to follow Elokart. The dwarf, pulled out his axe and ran out the other window, breaking it. A loud crash startled Therrat and Kilia. The mage walked over to the window and looked out. In front of her was the Dragon festival, and below her, a pavilion with a hole the size of a dwarf. Shaking her head, she backed away from the window and looked over to the king.

"The dwarf fell through a pavilion, do you want me to chase the assassin?" She asked the king. He slightly nods, and looks towards the doors. For Elokart to enter this chamber he must have killed the guards, which explains why none came in while all commotion was going on. Therra reached into his pocket, stifling through it till his hands settled on a piece of cloth. He drew out the cloth and blew his nose. Kilia already left and is probably already caught up with the elf by now.

The clouds above began shift and move, eventually turning the once bright and sunny afternoon to a dark and gloomy overcast day. Most of the people at the festival did not notice it but the ones who did, stopped celebrating and went into their homes. Elokart had to push through the busy crowd, sometimes he even snatched a purse or two, just for good measure. Every now and then a firework went off and exploded in the sky which got several cheers out of the people. He did not expect a dwarf and a wizard to be with the king, which made it all the harder to get closer to the king. Elokart drove to a stop when he noticed a barrier in front of him. He swore and ran left. A loud crack and the pang of cold and pain took Elokart by surprise. He was standing in front of a light blue wall made of ice. Elokart knew he was good as dead.

* * *

Drums rang throughout the forest. Trees shook to the noise, loud snaps and cracks of sticks and branches being moved, broken or stepped on. The sounds of thousands marching towards Laimar told Treig that war was upon them, and they are here early as the goblin cries of war were of cockyness and determination. Treig, being only three foot two, ran through the forest towards Laimar. The king is going to need these halflings help for the incoming invasion. Goblins, and Orcs. Ogres and hill Giants. Several Nagas and one Medusa made this army harder than before. More and more creatures started to pool into this army. Harpies and even Troglodytes have joined the ranks. Treig ran harder than ever before, leaping and climbing to get ahead of the hoard. A faint twang of a bow being fired and a loud thunk towards his left told him to get the out of there but it was already too late. A giant stood at the halflings current height. Its palm, already over the spot where Trieg was at. Then, darkness took over Trieg as his body became mush as if a human were to swat a fly.

* * *

Largared finally stood up after the fall. He shook his head, what was he thinking? Jumping through a window when you weigh more than 200 pounds. He out his hand to the back of his head and felt some blood dripping out. Largared began walking towards the entrance to the keep. The festival is keeping everyone busy, even when the once beautiful day has become a dreary one. Once he reached the entrance a group of guards rushed out. The commander of the troop told them to spread out and find the bastard who tried to kill the king. The commander noticed the dwarf and looked over at him. He was probably finding the reason why a dwarf would be here in Laimar. Largared walked into the keep, ignoring the commander.

"I'm not sure if I like the new law the king will be passing."

"Why? What is wrong with it?"

"Well, why are elves going to be outlawed from entering Laimar? They've done nothing wrong nor offensive to us humans."

"From what I've heard, it's because the elves sent an assassin to kill the king."

"Why on earth would they do that? It doesn't make any sense."

"Doesn't matter, when the King of the elves of Trimak comes, he's going to kill him, anyways, we should get back to guard duty." The one guard said and began laughing as he walked away. Largared overheard this conversation, he began thinking what can happen if the king does kill the elven king of Trimak. He knew this could not happen. He grabbed his axe, and grabbed a guards mug of ale that he left sitting on the table. Drank from it then he went towards the kings throne room.

* * *

Sweat was beading on Elokarts head. He's been running around the city, constantly being blocked off, wall by wall, he kept on realising that he's been trapped and probably would be executed at any point in time. Turning the corner he ran into a stone statue. It was one of the Dragondeir statues. Dragondeir's were the kingdoms dragon riders whom have been gone from existence for more than one thousand years. They knew how to wield every weapon and can notice almost any weak point from five hundred feet away.

He was up against what seemed to be the majesty's wizard. The bitch must be insane to wall in sections of the city. She would be even more crazy if she turned the Dragondeir statues alive. A loud clunk made Elokart turn around. The statue moved. Elokart turned and ran. He hit a corner and saw more statues moving towards him. Fear swept over him, it began taking over his body, slowly losing control of his actions. Elokart turned around went towards the nearest door. He pulls on the door and it swung open, almost knocking him off balance. He ran into the house, looking for anything that was sturdy and blunted. The house was small and quaint, the dining room and the usual set of chairs and tables. Couches and other things laid around the house. There was nothing in the house, till Elokart noticed a small trap door on the ground. The sounds of the stone men moving were becoming louder and faster. Elokart tries opening the trapdoor but it's stuck. He ran around the house, looking for anything that could be used as a key of some sort. The glint of metal, lying on the floor by the couch caught Elokarts eye. He swiftly grabbed it and shoved it into the trapdoor. The sound of the men were now at the door. Sounds of stone moving on stone made Elokart shiver and move with anticipation. The trap door unlocks and Elokart throws himself into the cellar.

The cellar felt cold and dreary. The smell of old and rotting wood took Elokart by surprise. This house did not look like it was built in the past hundred years or so, it felt brand spanking new. Elokart looked around the room. The room was pitch black and he couldn't see much. He barely made out what looked to be a candle stick. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tome. Pages flew passed his face till he stopped it on a page with four words on it. He read the words aloud. He never liked casting spells, there was always a high chance of failure, even with the easier spells, plus, they are almost never ten to eleven syllables. Heck most of the time, if you do not hit the right pitch it won't even work. Most of his spells in his spell book are meant for healing or for stealth. Earlier he had to heal his shoulder that had gotten broken because he jumped into the trap door on top of the castle.

The room illuminated. It wasn't much, just a workbench, a shelf full of weapons and armour and a few alchemy tables. The owner of the house must be doing this illegally which in Elokarts opinion, it's completely fine. He ran over to the rack of weapons, searching for some sort of mace or maul. The owner never made a single blunt weapon. There are bows, swords, axes, daggers and even knives. Elokart leaned against a wall and slid down. This is it, this is the end of his run. The sounds of the trap door being crushed open made Elokart feel sick. Killed by stone Dragondeirs, that had to be the worst way to die ever. The trapdoor cracked and fell down to the floor. A woman appeared. It was that bitch sorcerer.

"Hello there Elokart, the king has sent me to take your head, please consider it to be honorable to have died in a cellar." She said. Elokart stared at her, his eyes narrowing, he stood up. Step by step he became more irritated at the mage in front of him. She must always think she's correct, she must always think that whatever she does is for the best of the damn city, this rotten bitch to the core has had her stay as the countess of the city and now she'll pay. Elokart spat into her face. She was stunned. Elokart made a break for it, he drew his dagger and cut one of her leg tendons and ran past her towards the entrance of the cellar. Kilia regained her mobility and spun around. With a loud crash, she fell down to the ground. Her leg was wounded, and she drew in her anger. A loud cry of a spell, Elokart was frozen in place on the ladder.

Kilia stood up and hobbled over to him. She grabbed one of his daggers and whispered into his ear : "You sir, are now dead!". She thrusted the dagger into his heart and pulled it out and stabbed him again. She threw his body off the ladder. Kilia jumped on him and ripped out the dagger and stabbed him again. The girl wailed with laughter, she kept on stabbing the corpse, over and over and over. With each stab she went more and more into madness. After what felt like an hour or so, she got up and threw the dagger into the corpse.

Kilia left the cellar in a hurry, she needed to see the king. The stone Dragondeirs started after her. She spun around, and told them to go back to their positions, and were to kill any damn elf they see. The stone warriors ran back to their positions around the city. With a sigh, she murmured a spell and begun flying. She took a look around the city. The festival is still going on and seemed to be a success. Drums began to ring around the city, Kilia spun around to look into the forest. A giant rock came out of the forest, it tumbled down the hill into the castle's walls. She swore and flew towards the keep. The goblin army has arrived.

* * *

The door breaks open as the dwarf removes his axe from the door. Therrat was shocked, Largared broke down his door, probably killed his new set of guards and looks to be so done with him that he'll probably tear his head and take a dump down his neck. Largared strode towards the king, clutching his axe so tightly that the wooden hilt began to crack.

"Why hello Largared, may I ask why are you so angry?" The king sneered. He knew it had to do with him sending out Kilia to kill an assassin, something so trivial that anyone could do in their sleep.

"Well Therrat, why don't we get started with the new law you made. Why on earth would you want to kill every single elf in this city?"

"Why it's very simple, they betrayed their king, so, they shall die."

"It was just one damn elf, one fucking elf that had come to assassinate you, just one and you hadn't even bothered to think that, I don't know, it could have been one of your fucking enemies or someone wanting your damn throne!" The king was taken aback. No one has ever swore in front of the king nor told him that his decisions were completely wrong. Therrat stood up and drew out his sword.

"You dare defy me, dwarf?"

"Ay, even your other plan to take out the King of Trimak is one of the worst things ever conceived. "

"It's a Brilliant plan, we would have gained another part of the world, we would become stronger, better than any other kingdom in this world!" Therrat laughed, his voice becoming more demonic as his laughter continued. Largared had another of his laughter and charged at him. The king swiftly dodged his attack, still laughing his guts out. The dwarf went at him again and Therrat dodges. Therrat lunges towards the dwarf, his sword pointed at one of his eyes. Largared barely knocks the blade out of the way. Their weapons clashed, over and over, each one determined to kill the other man.

They left the throne room, they went from hall to hall. Their weapons clashing, pottery being flung at each other, the hallways were getting torn to bits as they went down them. Eventually they reached the guard tower. Dried blood hung from the walls of the tower, the corpses were beginning to rot and the smell begun to envelop the two. The king took long deep breaths of the smell, seemingly to improve his combat skills. They made their way to the top of the tower, still knocking over and throwing things at each other.

At the top of the tower were two guards, watching the distance, when at last they could get in. The trap door flung open as Therrat and Largared fought each other. They were bruised and bloody, the dwarf bled from his head while the king bled from his arms. The two guards were stunned, their king was fighting a dwarf on top of the roof. Both guards ditched the scene and went back down into the keep.

It began to rain, the roof became wet and slippery. The two people stood near the edge, both are bleeding, both are nearing death. Therrat and Largared came to a stand off, one more blow would kill either of them. They swung at each other. Their weapons clanged as soon as they touched each other. A swift duck and a spin and Largared managed to cut one of the leg tendons. Therrat dropped to one knee and still swung at the dwarf. Largared screamed and cut off his head and kicked the body off the roof and down into the crowd below.

At last Largared could rest in piece. The inevitable war will never happen. An explosion broke down the castle walls and a horde of monsters pooled in. Laimar has fallen. Kilia watched the body fall down into the crowd and the explosion happen. She knew she'll have to team up with the killer of the king in order to save this city.

End of chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

The desert stormed and roared as a man, dressed in pure black clothing, crossed the dune. The man saw the city of Elistruud. Elistruud is famous for its black market and the "to die for" wine. For it to be about thousands of miles from other civilizations and it being in the desert is pretty impressive. Most of the buildings are made out of sandstone and the doors are made of maple and were imported from Trimak. The city was busy, people running around pretending to be the heroes of old, market stand owners trying to make some money and of course the winery, in which the line up to go and get yourself some wine went around the entire market.

Off in the distance the man spotted a glint of light, small enough that only the most perceptive people can see. He turned around to check to see if he had been followed. Most people of his kind were hunted for what they have done to the kingdoms of old. He is Half human and Cyclops. It's indeed a weird mix but his parents loved each other for different reasons than most would think.

The man reached the gate to the city. The wall loomed over him as he walked into the city. People immediately rushed around him, offering everything from hookers and blow to maps of the city. He dropped a few coins into a map sellers hand and snatched a map from him. The Half-clops unfolded the map and began reading the directions to the nearest inn. The nearest inn is called Flagon Dagan. Apparently it boats the hardest ale ever to drink and the second best wine in the city. People that were around the man who is trying to get to the inn kept on showing items in front of his face until he had enough. Words poured from the man's mouth, the sounds they made were unnatural and filled to the brim with fear. The crowd around him bolted back to their stalls. The man sighed with relief as he strode towards the inn.

The inn looked nice from the outside. The sign is large with bright lettering to make it stand out amongst the rest. He opened the door to the inn. Inside were chairs made of oak and cushioning that made most queens and kings feel comfortable, the tables are filled to the brim. People were everywhere in this inn. As he made his way to the till, a woman stood up from her chair behind him and moved closer to him.

He reached the till, looking for the menu when he saw what they had for drinks. There were only three kinds of drinks, the first one is called the Blacksmithery, an ale from the dwarven kingdom of Gahdren, apparently only dwarves can drink it without getting drunk immediately. Then they have a wine known as Wood, from the people of Trimak, sadly it tastes like wood. Lastly we have Ye Old Ale. It's old ale that has been sitting for twenty or so years. A woman sat down beside him and ordered two Blacksmitheries.

"Never seen you before." She said towards him. The half-clops turned and looked at her. The woman was a dwarf, about 4'2" with a scarred up face. Her voice is strong and sturdy, as if she has done this quite a few times, if not, she's doing a good enough job to hide her insecurity.

"Tis my first time here in Elistruud, it's a well-known city and I thought I might as well visit here." He said. The dwarven girl looked up at him as their drinks arrive. She passes one to him.

"Drink it. You should be able to withstand it." She said casually. He grabbed the drink and let it all pour down his mouth. It turns out that the Blacksmithery is not very strong at all, despite what the sign said. The drink tasted of Hugarberries and Tilak. Tilak is a type of mint that is generally outlawed, unless it's in drinks.

"You're right. The label is bullshit and it should be changed." He said. The bartender looked at him.

"Probably because yer a half-clops. Yer kind isn' very common 'ere, unless it involves the blackmerket." The bartender replied. The half-clops stood up, looking directly into the bartenders eyes. He then turned around and walked out the door into the sunlight. A hand came out of nowhere and pulled him back into the inn.

"You are not going anywhere laddie, when we find one of yer kind, we throw 'em into the pit." The bartender told him. "The pit of hell, I mean" The half-clops panicked, words started coming from his mouth. An explosion goes off behind the bartender. The middle section of the bar was gone, the explosion threw the wood into people's bodies. The bartenders face waned and began to be filled with horror when he realized who did it. Turning his head, the half-clop's eyes were filled with fire.

A scream came from the half-clop's mouth, bursting the bartender's eardrums. The man screamed aloud from the pain. He hasn't stopped screaming, the bartender thought to himself. It was like the man had been possessed by a demon of sorts. His thoughts were cut off. The man's skin began to tear away from his face, revealing the bone, muscle and tissue of his face. Blood poured where the bartenders face used be.

The half-clops let go of the body. He moved towards the bar, looking for the dwarven girl. Pain shot up his leg, a small dagger stood out from his leg. The half-clops turned around, the dwarven girl was standing in front of the doorway holding multiple knives.

"Why are you looking at me with such hate monster?" she jested, giving a small laugh. "It's about time I kill you!" She threw the knives at him. One flew past his cheek, barely drawing any blood, another landed firmly into his shoulder. Two went into the wood behind him and a few landed just short from hitting his feet. The half-clops snickered.

"What, you haven a laugh?" she joked.

"Aye, if ye know what's good for ya." The half-clops replied "Laughing helps relieve pain, but it doesn't relieve any pain that comes from burning alive or getting their head smashed to bits." The half-clops made a very fast jolt in his arm, as if he were loading a bolt action rifle. A hammer appeared behind the dwarf and with one swift motion, her head became a pile of mush. The half-clops walked past her corpse and left the inn to find a new one.


	3. Chapter 3

Through the desert and into the City of Keligaan lies the relic of old. An item that held monstrous power, A ring that is said to carry the soul of the old king. The city has multiple entrances with each one containing a trap. Some say that one of the traps, trap you in between the portcullises and the walls slowly close in on you till you become paste. One is said to be disarmed, the trap they say, was a pit that lead into a portal to the abyssal plane. Everyone keeps on talking about the City of Keligaan when some haven't even gone there. Until people heard of a race. A race to find the item and exit. The reward is a million gold. All kinds of people signed up and even a few, went ahead already.

In the desert stood a dwarf. The dwarf wore chainmail armour, heavy boots and a two handed axe. The dwarf moved deeper into the desert. Winds hallowed, sand slammed against him, scorpions and worms moved along with him. After a couple of days he found a city. The walls were taller than any fortress, slits were carved evenly for multiple archers to fire rapidly against enemies. The dwarf took a step forward towards the walls. A loud explosion came from behind the wall. The dwarf looked up at the top of the wall. Within seconds he saw a cannonball fly above the wall and land. The explosion went off, clearing the sand away from the walls. The sand covered up small, sandstone pressure plates. The dwarf bent down to wipe away the dust when his hand pressed down another pressure plate. A green smoke, rose from beneath the plate. The dwarf began choking, and then puking, then blood came from his mouth when he couldn't vomit any more. He felt a ghostly hand enter his orifice, and it went down, far down into his stomach. The hand began to yank at his intestines till they broke off. It dragged out the intestines through the dwarves, mouth, as if he was regurgitating. In and out, organ after organ, until the dwarf bled to death.

The vision ended and the woman looked up.

"A dwarf has already fallen to the traps of the city."

"Which quadrant was he in?" A man asked as he walked into the tent.

"Quadrant 7 sir. The trap there is pressure plates, each one does something different."

"Damn, is that the only trap we know?"

"Yes sir." She said. The man screamed.

"We need to know what they all do! The ring will tell us everything that we need to know about King Therrat and what happened after his death 40 years ago."

"How about a race to find the ring and bring it here?"

"Fine, just do it." The man sighed as he walked out of the tent. Outside was a base camp, in the middle of the mountains of del. Most people at the camp are archeologists and scientists. They are looking for the fabled book of Gendelif. It is said that it can remove the desert around the city.

The man walked through the camp and into the forest that surrounded them. As he moved, the landscape around him shifted and moved. Tree's being cut down, stone pathways being laid down in front of him. Buildings being made from the ground up and families moving into them. After a few more minutes, the area around the man stopped moving. The man walked up towards a large a building. The building has a victorian style to it. Shingled roofing, large wooden doors and a few windows. The sound of horses and the clacking of their steps on the road were familiar to the man. The man walked into the building, sighing with relief.

"That didn't take long Felinian." A large woman said as the man walked into the home.

"Sorry, I was out at the expedition site. Could you get me a glass of milk Sarah? I'm feeling a bit out of it as of late."

"Sure thing love."

As the woman walked out of the room, Felinian looked around the room. Straight ahead of him is a set of stairs touching the back wall, going upstairs. To the left is the kitchen where Sarah is making a glass of milk. To the right is the living room. Felinian walked towards the staircase and began climbing it. Once he got onto the landing he turned to his left and entered a room. The room has one bed, a telescope and papers scattered everywhere. He walked towards the telescope and turned it towards one of the stars. The star the telescope looked at slowly began to fade. A stream of white glittering ash came out of a tube near the back end of the telescope.

"Here's your glass of milk!" Sarah said as she left his room. Felinian looked through the telescope to make sure the star is completely gone. He then grabbed a broom and a dusting pan to clean up the white ash. Felinian put the ash into a bucket. He took out a syringe and filled it with the white ash. He grabbed the pocket watch that is on his belt and injected it with the ash. The man grabbed a notebook that is on the table and ran out of the room. He took the staircase down and booked it out the door. Again, the area around him began to shift and tear away from itself. Buildings, roads and other structures being taken apart, tree's growing until it all stopped.

Felinian came out of the forest reading from his notebook. He looked around the area trying to find the exact location of the book that was buried long ago. Looking back down at his notes, the two pages had small wet splotches on them. The sky had turned grey from his walk to his home and back. Thunder roared above him and the crew around him are running back to their tents. Felinian walked over to his tent. As he walked in, a small dagger went flying into the cloth behind him.

"Nice to see you again Herald."

"Mmmm yes, yes it is and I have heard that you set up a race for a ring of great power?"

"You've heard correctly. The reward is a million gold. Get the ring and bring it back to me and you'll receive your money." Felinian said. The Herald smirked and walked out of his tent. "I'll take that as a yes, Herald."

The Herald reached the desert at last. One whole month it took him from the mountains of del to the desert Kelugian then to the town of Gerah, where the race will start from. Tons of people wandered around the town, waiting in anticipation to see who all will go and get the ring. A few people caught the Herald's eye. A half-clops in a black garb, a woman with red robes who is talking to a scruffy dwarf. An elf with with black velvet hair and an old geezer. A bell rang loudly and the people began to make a pathway for those who are going to do the Trails of Keligaan. Sixteen different people have lined up near the edge of the town. A large woman walked in front of those people.

"Hello maggots! Listen up! There are five rules to this. Rule number one! You must collect the ring and bring it to the mountains of del! Rule number two! You are allowed to kill anyone as soon as you are out of view of any town or in the city of Keligaan. Rule number 3! If you are teaming up with another person, you must split the reward between the two of you! Rule four! Only teams of two! Rule five! Each person has to take one of the sixteen quadrants of the city! I'll need each of your names to assign your sections! First up is the old man!"  
"The names Gedas."

"Next!"

"I am Kilia, from the kingdom of Ythandril." The woman in red robes said, winking at the dwarf beside her.

"Thank you! Next!"

"Largared." Said the dwarf.

"Next!"

"I am Dejan, of the elves of oak." The elf yelled. The large lady gave him a scowl. She asked for the other names until it landed on the Herald.

"I am known as The Herald." he replied. The woman finished writing everything down.

"Alright! Here is your assigned quadrants" She yelled as she past the paper off to a little girl. The girl ran towards each and every person. The Herald read the paper and saw that he had to go through the back end of the city and it was labeled as quadrant 16.

"Go out there you filthy bastards!" The large woman yelled at the top of her lungs. People immediately ran towards the horses. The Herald walked over to a camel vendor and bought a camel. He climbed on it and rode off into the desert.

It's been five hours since he last seen a person. For all the Herald knew, they could have already reached the city, or they all died. His camel spat onto the ground. The herald sighed. He knew he is almost there. The journey to the city on camel takes about 8 hours. On horses it's about 9 hours. The wind picked up a bit as sand is being flung into his eyes. A loud yell came from behind him.

"Damn it Largared! I don't give a rats ass about your fucking beard!"

"Oh really now? You're the one who killed a fuckin elf. Whoop de do. I killed our king because he was gonna kill every damn elf!"

"You are the worst person I have ever met!"

"Shut it mage."

The voices grew quieter as The Herald moved away from them. Then they appear in front of him.

"Why the fuck did you blink us Kilia! I could have aged ten years!"

"Oh for fucks sake! I don't give a damn about your age! We just need to grab the fucking ring and leave."

The Herald saw the two people arguing. The dwarf, Largared. Short with a hot temper. Easily angered. Kilia, the mage. Average height, could be insane judging from her actions earlier. Disregarding some of the rules, The Herald rode straight .

"You two seem to be lost. Need any help?" The Herald asked the two. The two looked up at him. Kilia was the first to respond.

"We aren't lost, we are just arguing." She responded. The dwarf rolled his eyes.

"We're lost. Can you help us?" Largared told the man. The Herald sighed and got off his camel. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two sheets of paper.

"Here, take these. They are maps to the city of Keligaan. It'll help you out." The Herald said. The two grabbed the papers out of his hand. The next thing The Herald saw was the desert storm going around him. He got back onto his camel and travelled forward.

Ythand stood in front of one of the entrances to Keligaan. He arrived at his quadrant ahead of everyone else. He got picked for quadrant six. The gate in front of him must have the trap. He grabbed the portcullis and lifted it up. He stepped inside. The loud clattering of the portcullis falling back into the ground, shook some of the sand off of the floor. A large libra symbol has been inscribed into the floor. Ythand bent down and put his hand on the symbol. A large flash of flight came out of the symbol. Ythand reared back, begin blinded from the light. With a loud thunk, Ythand looked at the being standing on the symbol. A knight with pure white armour. It wielded a large greatsword made of white steel. Another thunk. The thing moved. Ythand panicked. He drew his sword and pointed it at the white knight.

"D-d-don't move! I-I-I don't w-w-w-want to hurt you!" Ythand screamed.

The white knight raised his sword upright and spoke.

"Leave this city." It boomed

"I-I-I can't if it means saving my daughter, Kilia!"

"Then I'll let you rest in piece." The knight grabbed the portcullis and lifted it up. He shoved Ythand underneath the portcullis.

"P-p-p-p-please don't do this!" Ythand pleaded. The Knight grunted as he threw the gate upwards. In an instant, the portcullis pierced into Ythands body. His blood slowly came out from underneath the body. As Ythand breathed in his last breath, The Knight bent down, and began eating his corpse.

Three contestants arrived at the city. Three looked at their quadrants. The first is a man in his thirties with huge muscles. The second is The Herald, and the last is a young woman, in her twenties. The man in his thirties yelled at the two people.

"You guys ready for the traps here?" He asked. The two both nodded their heads. "Alright then. Shall we begin?"

All three stepped forward. Multiple explosions went off in front of The Herald as if it were a cluster bomb. The explosions moved towards him. As they moved, they picked up speed, carrying their momentum. The Herald stood still, quietly looking at the other two. The girl's trap seemed to be some Illusionary images. The man's trap is a maze made of glass walls. In the maze with him is a minotaur. The Herald scoffed. The explosions weren't going faster, it was two explosions going off at once. The explosions split ten feet away from him. His trap is now clear. The girl is done with hers and is waiting for the other two at the gate. The man is dead. His head has been removed from his body, and his torso is ripped in half. The Herald looked for the minotaur, but when he found it, it was sitting on a glass bench, eating the man's arm.

"Are you going to keep me waiting or what?" The girl yelled at the Herald. He nods, and walked his way towards her. When he caught up with her, he noticed that inside the entrance is an open pit. The Herald grabbed the portcullis and lifted it up. The girl went in underneath, quickly followed by the Herald. Inside the pit is a large swirling portal. It seems that the two were lucky. The trap has already been disarmed.

"Come, we need to get in the city!" The girl exclaimed. The Herald looked at her with question in his eyes. He sighed and walked over to the inner portcullis. As the two began to lift the portcullis, a loud scream came from the other side of the gate. The two panicked, they threw the gate up and ran in. To their left is another minotaur and their right is an ghostly female. Most likely a banshee and she has alerted the entire city that people has entered it.

Kilia sighed as they entered the city. The two of them got teleported just before the war started. The last thing she remembered is fire raining down onto her. Largared on the other hand, saw the crowd below him run away for their king is dead. The next thing the two remembers is that the both of them woke up in the middle of the mountains and met a man named Felinian. He said that he could get them back by lending them his pocket watch. Kilia asked what year it was and the man told them. The two were in shock, but in order for them to re-write time, they had to go and get the ring of Therrat. The ring their old king held apparently told what happened to him and the rest of the kingdom.

A loud scream took Kilia out of her thoughts. It came from the other side of the city. Largared looked up at Kilia and ran towards the scream. She sighed, and followed Largared. They past all kinds of buildings, taverns, inns, blacksmiths and even a house surrounded by old decaying stone statues. Kilia stopped moving. She walked up to the house and entered it. The home is dusty with cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. Kilia went towards the kitchen. A hole to the basement was in the middle of the kitchen. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she ran out of the home.

Largared, after running for ten minutes straight, heard the sounds of combat to the right of him. Holding tightly to his axe, he moved as quietly as possible towards the combat. Two men stood with their weapons raised. One, is a white knight with large metal armour, wielding a large white greatsword. The other is a young man, holding a katana up to his eyes. The two lunged at each other. The katana struck deep into the plated armour, letting black mist pool out from the crack in the plate. The white knight grunted. He turned his great sword around so that it is pointing at him. A loud yell came from inside the knight's helm as he thrusted the sword through him and the young man. The young man fell slump as the two fell down onto the ground dead.

The Herald and the woman both stood panting. They are now at the keep of the city. The last trial before one of them can get the ring and bring it back to the mountains of del.

"Well sir. It has been a long ass day." She said. The two looked at each other and the girl laughed. "You are so abnormally tall. Surely you can't be human right?"

"I am human and I am also not human. I'm a half blood." The Herald answered. The woman laughed as she walked towards the keep. "Hey, it isn't funny okay."

She turned around and jumped at him. She landed into his arms, sighing with relief. The woman kissed him on the cheek and fell back onto the ground.

The Herald stood in complete silence, stunned for what happened before him.

He moved towards the keep with the woman at his side.

Inside the keep made the two feel really small. Large tapestries hang from the walls. Long red carpets on the floors with statues all along the walls. The girl held onto his arm as she was hugging a bear. Eventually they came across two large doors. Inside sat a throne with a decapitated, rotten body sitting in the throne.

The girl puked onto the carpet. The body in the throne stood up and walked over to the two. The body drew out a longsword that lit up with flame. It pointed at the girl as if it were to tell her to draw her weapon. The Herald took it upon himself to draw his own weapon. The Herald's weapon is an axe. The axe lit up his portion of the room with a dim blue flame.

"You, Herald. Are hereby sentenced to death for ending the kingdom of Ythandril!" The corpse boomed. With a loud sigh, The Herald opened his mouth.

He breathed in. The fire on the corpse's sword flew into his mouth. The Herald closed his mouth.

"Aw man was that ever good! Who casted it the enchantment on it cause I need to high five that man! Woo!" The Herald said excitedly. The girl looked at the Herald stunned. He just ate the magic off of the longsword.

"You must be a wizard of sorts. One of the Cyclops wizards." The girl said with worry in her voice. The Herald walked up to the corpse, swung his axe into the corpse's chest letting the mist pool out of him with the ring. The Herald bent down and picked up the ring. The two walked out with the ring, winning the race.


End file.
